Rough Waters Ahead
by Kouhikouryuu
Summary: You'd think the Straw Hat Crew would learn by now to just let the driftwood float by. Of course... who can resist the spell of a Siren? Rated for language.
1. Default Chapter

Actually, I don't have too much to say to start out. This is my first One Piece fic, check out my other fics, yes this is a bit of a MarySue, but the character is neither musically inclined, in love with ANYONE on the ship, emotionally or mentally stable enough to do so, and don't you dare say anything about my treatment of Sanji because it does play a part later. Like the sub, some words just have to stay in Japanese cause it makes more sense.  
  
And... enjoy yourself. :)  
  
**Rough Waters Ahead...**  
  
_Chapter 1_  
  
The Grand Line was being extremely kind that week for the Straw Hat Crew.  
  
Too kind.  
  
Nami had Usopp and Luffy drag her desk out in front of her mini-grove so she could enjoy the spring island breeze. Her map making had certainly seen an upturn, as they had been passing through an archipelago for the past 4 days. The islands were tiny, but some clustered by the dozens to make an entire livable island. No natives yet, though.  
  
Luffy for once did not have his spot on top of the Sheep's head. Sanji was being particularly unkind and had Luffy at the sink doing dishes. He would've had Zoro at it too, but it was his turn to be up in the Crow's Nest. Unfortunately, Zoro usually took opportunities in the Crow's Nest to sleep. Usopp was off to the side and writing in a book, doodling in the margins.  
  
"NEVER MIND! GET OUT, YOU MORON!!" Sanji's voice broke the calmness of the waves, and a few pots flew out of the galley after a giggling Luffy.  
  
"It was just one!" Luffy called back, not up for apologizing. He picked at the food all the time! What was his problem today?!  
  
"One _what_, Luffy? One cow? One watermelon? One _refrigerator's_ worth of food?" Usopp snickered. He didn't have a right to point; he was nearly as bad.  
  
Chopper pointed to Luffy's protruding gut. "I think he got the refrigerator and didn't bother getting anything out of it!" The little reindeer was on the railing beside Nami's desk and eating an orange.  
  
"It was A HAM. One. I do that all the time." Luffy said matter-of-factly. "Jeez, Sanji's moodier than usual. I hope he doesn't decide to poison us." He pouted and hopped up on the bow of the ship.  
  
Sanji came out a few seconds later. He nearly kicked the door off the hinges and had a look on his face that signaled he wouldn't mind putting his foot somewhere else. Like up Luffy's ass. "Because of our insatiable captain, lunch will be late." He added a growl in Luffy's direction and turned back to the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, Sanji! Are you alright? Do you need help? I could make Usopp help!" Nami leaned over the railing and looked down. Her voice never failed to soften him just a little bit. Usopp however tensed up immediately when he heard his name and did the 'IX NAY' sign across throat.  
  
"Nami... It's fine." He grit his teeth at the last part and went back inside.  
  
Well this wasn't good. No "Nami-swan", no "I don't need that dumbass!", no nothing!  
  
"What's eating him?" Chopper put his head down on the railing and contemplated swiping another orange.  
  
"I have no clue." Nami bit the top of her pen and went back to work.  
  
And so it continued all day. Anyone going near the door would get a "WHAT!?" or some signal of exasperation. This made dinner a delicate affair. Or at least it would have if Sanji hadn't just served the food and left.  
  
"Come on, Luffy! You're the captain! Talk to him." Usopp stuck a forkful of fish in his mouth. "The food's still good, but it won't be worth it if he knocks our heads off."  
  
Zoro had come down for dinner and stared down at his plate. "I can take it if he tries to kick a goal with our skulls, but if tries to poison us, he can eat my swords. Let him stew in it for a while. He'll get over whatever it is." Fish was less than appetizing to him, no matter how it was prepared.  
  
"Ah! Stew in it! You made a funny, Zoro!" Luffy tried to laugh and pick his teeth with the bones of his fish. He was the only one dumb enough to point the pun. Zoro raised an eyebrow.  
  
"I'll do it after dinner. Even in this state, he can't say no to this face." Nami took a bite of some of the fresh veggies Sanji had baked with her fish. She was a bit worried about him...  
  


=------------------------------------------------------------=  


  
A young woman clung to the mast of her little boat for dear life and cursed the fact that one of her arms was immobile. She also cursed gifts from strangers, cute strangers, the Devil and all his dealings, the sea, storms, stupid dares, herself for taking them, her ex-boyfriend, and her brother.  
  
"When I get back, Ohhh-ho ho... If he thinks he'll live after this-"A high wave pushed the boat into a nauseating dip, causing the girl to yelp and nearly crush the mast. "-stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!"  
  
Sen thought she could ride along the shore for a little while, but the second she put the sail up, instead of going parallel to the shore, the boat was thrown in a perpendicular position and dragged away from the shore. She immediately tried to turn the sail around, but it was well too late. She'd only been drifting for a few hours, but even though she was a native of the Grand Line, she knew to keep her ass on the island and not actually OUT ON THE GRAND LINE. Who knew if she'd accidentally stopped in a current and was being carried further away? What if she got knocked overboard?!  
  
"Craaaaap...."Sen hugged the little mast and decided there was only one thing to do.  
  
**"HHHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPP MMMMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!"**  
  
She immediately wished she kept her trap shut because the force and pitch of her voice against the waves shook the boat violently, and sent an eerie chill up her own spine. She wanted to scream again in terror, but the next time might capsize her.  
  
"Oh god, let somebody hear me...." She looked up at the blue sky and let go of the mast. Clinging was making her arm hurt and weakening her considerably. Her muscles gave out at once and she fell on her back to the bottom of the boat to sleep. 


	2. Chapter 2

Not bad, I got some reviews on a popular show for once. :p For being good readers, we'll play Q&A with Kouhi.  
  
mushi-azn: No, he won't get better (yet), and the mary-sue will become more established after maybe 3 chapters.  
  
AnimeFreakPerson and F00l3Al2: Crazy people usually aren't perfect. I mean there's some serious problems. If you're asking if she's stronger than Luffy, in a sense yes, but you have to remember there's a strength and weakness heirarchy in One Piece. She could easily be beaten by some characters, but impossible to others. Also, there's no Nico Robin because I haven't gotten that far in the series (manga or anime). I can't write about someone I don't know.  
  
ashes2ashes: It's not about Sanji. Read the previous reply. {hint hint}

* * *

Chapter 2  
  
Chopper's ears twitched. "Can you guys hear something?"  
  
There was a resounding "No." and everyone went back to stuffing their faces.  
  
"But, it sounds weird. Like shrieking."  
  
"You're already finished Luffy. Go look." Zoro gave in and ate anyway. He needed the energy.  
  
"Alright. C'mon, Chopper!" Luffy hopped up from the table and ran out to the deck.  
  
Usopp jumped up and followed them. "Zoro's turn to do dishes!"  
  
Nami giggled. "Why thank you, Zoro!" She leaned back in her chair.  
  
"Why don't YOU help, Nami?!" Zoro leaned on the table and gave her an evil look.  
  
"Are you kidding? I have to get back to work!" She pointed to the Log Pose on her wrist. "This thing isn't steering the ship on its own, you know!"  
  
"Figures." Zoro picked up his and Luffy's plates and stacked them on top of each other while Nami skipped out of the galley and up the stairs.  
  
=--------------------------------------------------------=  
  
Chopper grew to his human form and climbed up the ladder to the Crow's Nest. He stopped short of accidentally stepping on a silently fuming Sanji and stepped around him.  
  
"I don't supposed you heard that horrible noise a few seconds ago..." The reindeer wiggled his ears again and half hoped the sound would return. The other half thought that whatever made that kind of horrible noise couldn't be good and that was a death shriek.  
  
"If you mean the woman screaming and drifting towards who knows where, she's that way." He held up the telescope and pointed with it to the northwest.  
  
"Why didn't you say anything!?!?!" Chopper took a short look, dropped the telescope, shrank down, and slid down the rope ladder by his hooves.  
  
"Because she's drifting back towards an island. She would've gotten help sooner or later." Sanji checked the breast pocket of his jacket and growled once more when he confirmed it was empty. 'But we're going to go and screw it up somehow.' He made his way down the ladder to watch the chaos unfold.  
  
Since Chopper was the first to know, he was also the loudest. "Turn the ship northwest! There's a tiny boat up ahead!" He ran circles around Nami, who called Luffy to help turn the tiller. Usopp was up front, using his goggles to keep the tiny boat in sight. The small boat ahead of the Going Merry was being carried by a current, which looked like it headed towards an island.  
  
"Hey, Luffy! We can either pick her up or we can let her drift back to that island. From the looks of it, it's deserted." Usopp twisted the focus on his goggles.  
  
"I think, maybe, I ought to ask her if she needs help." Nami paused for a minute. "This sounds like something I used to do." And she was just a good thief. Who knows what damage could be done by the denizens of the Grand Line.  
  
Nami leaned against the port railing and looked over the side between Usopp and Chopper-chan. As they came up to the boat, they found a half conscious woman clinging to the mast and muttering something under her breath.  
  
"'Hoy!! Are you alright!?" Nami waved down to her.  
  
At the sound of another voice, the woman jolted awake and screamed bloody murder. "NO!! HELP ME!!!" She turned around towards the sound to the sound of Nami's voice but screeched again when the boat leaned over towards the Going Merry. The resulting shockwave jolted both boats together and tipped Usopp over the side. He landed on his butt right beside the panicked woman.  
  
"What in the hell was that?!" He looked over at her and noticed her arm in a sling, yet she wasn't in enough pain to stop using it. "HEY UP THERE! Pull us up or something! She's injured!!"  
  
"When I get back, I'll kill them... first stranded, now pirates..."  
  
"You can plan later! Grab the ladder now." Usopp pulled on the rope ladder that Chopper was holding the other end of.  
  
Sen closed her eyes and slowly made her way up the ladder. She was able to hold on with her broken arm, but she felt the pain coming back and could only stabilize herself and not pull herself up. As soon as she felt the railing, a surge of adrenaline and fear made her leap for it in hopes of curling up in a ball on the deck. Instead, she crashed into something fuzzy and clung to it.  
  
"HEY! GET OFF! I've still got to get Usopp!" Chopper gently nudged her off so she dropped to the floor. She calmed down a little and waited quietly for Usopp to get back on board.  
  
"What in the world were you doing in that tiny boat, by yourself, out here, and terrified beyond reason?" Nami put her hand on her hip and gave the girl a confused look.  
  
Sen was too tired to think of a lie. "Stupid brother tried to teach me how to sail, then lied to me, ditched me, and I drifted out here."  
  
"Ehh, you don't look all that bright..." Luffy appeared behind Nami. "Especially trying to steer a boat with only one arm and no skills."  
  
"As I recall, captain, before you found me, you were as helpless and stupid as she was." Nami rolled her eyes.  
  
"HEY! I told you I was tricked! Believe me, when I get back, he won't get the chance to... fool me... again...." Sen put her head down on her knees and went out like a light.  
  
"Only slightly pretty, and a complete spazz." Sanji looked over his captain's shoulder for a moment and strolled back into the kitchen once he confirmed everyone had finished eating. Zoro strolled past him without a word and was in no mood to start a fight.  
  
"...Not another one. Luffy, we're running a pirate ship, not a water taxi." Zoro frowned up.  
  
"Hey, it wasn't me," Luffy pointed to Chopper and Usopp.  
  
"What are we supposed to do with her then? Her arm's broken, and if we try to put her back in her boat, she'll probably die of fright. Most people have a right to be scared when they're lost at sea, but she was hysterical as if she was afraid of the water itself." Nami put her fingers across her forehead.  
  
Chopper took the opportunity to take a look at her broken arm since she didn't have much say. Her upper arm wasn't actually broken, but had been pulled out of the shoulder socket and reset. Somewhere along the way it had popped back out again. It was a simple fix, and this time he made sure that she couldn't undo his work. He put a band around her chest and arm so she couldn't move it, and dressing patches around her shoulder so it would heal faster. Even after a half hour of treatment she was still unconscious, so he left her in Nami's bed and went upstairs.  
  
"Her injuries weren't all that bad. A couple of bruises and a dislocated shoulder. I would also like to add that she's completely impossible to wake up. Unless maybe we dump her overboard..." He plopped down on his spot on the railing in order to catch the evening breeze through his fur.  
  
"So where did she come from? All the islands we've passed aren't inhabited." Nami thumbed through a couple of the maps she'd made over the past 4 days.  
  
"She drifted backward towards us. We'll probably pass her island tomorrow." Zoro went downstairs to lie in his hammock.  
  
=--------------------------------------------------------------=  
  
A note on Chopper: Chopper ate the Human Fruit. He is able to switch between human and animal. This type of fruit is called Zoan and has three stages. When he's in cute little reindeer form, he is Chopper-chan. In Anthromorph (animal with few human qualities), he is Chopper-kun. In Hybrid (human with few animal qualities) mode, he is Chopper-san. Should he use Rumble Balls ™ , his Point System will be used. 


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3_

Sen awoke with a start and sat up in her bed. Then she looked around and noticed that the décor was not of her familiar metal plates and scrolls. This was not her bed, or her room, or the island. A breathless curse escaped her lips and she swung her legs over the side of the bed. The porthole across the room had a little but not much light coming through it. Since she figured she'd been rescued a little before sunset, this must have been dawn. She felt incredibly refreshed like after a good night's sleep, and her arm and shoulder didn't even hurt that much. One of them had replaced her arm sling with inconvenient and _tight_ bindings.

'Grr... I can't reach the knot... they did that on purpose... At least it doesn't hurt like it used to.' She hissed under her breath and took a look at the porthole. The scenery did look familiar, in fact, she knew the islands they were passing because they were the ones she saw from... her home window. 'Crap! How fast are they going?!'

The woman ran upstairs in hopes that someone would be awake. The only one she did find awake was a blonde boy looking slightly irritable and going into the kitchen. It didn't bother her, she could be just as grouchy if need be. She had every right to be. They didn't look all that tough in the first place. "Hey! You or somebody's gotta slow the ship down. My island isn't far from here!"

The boy looked her up and down. "I'm only the cook. I need to make breakfast before the captain wakes up and tries to make it himself. Go find someone else to do it." And nearly slammed the door in her face.

'Damn uppity pirates!' She ran back the other way, downstairs, and as she got to the sleeping quarters, she got a wicked idea. She tiptoed past the green haired man and went straight to the goofy kid in the straw hat. He didn't have sharp implements nearby.

"Mon capitan! I have a most urgent matter to discuss with you!" She said in a moderately loud voice.

He didn't stir. This was their captain? What if the bloody ship was sinking? He'd have to be able to hear the alarm all the way down here. If she got any louder, something might happen.

"CAPTAIN! SIR!" She whistled loudly. Nothing. In fact, none of them stirred. She remembered her original intent, and shrugged. "Well, if nobody wants Break-fa-st..."

She was almost thrown across the room as Usopp, Chopper-chan, and Luffy managed to get from their hammocks, to the doorway, and halfway up the stairs in a single, smooth, 2-second motion. The green haired man growled as he heard their footsteps echoing across the room and up the stairs.

"Well, that didn't work out as I hoped." She rolled her eyes and followed them up the stairs.

"You have a hell of a lot of guts coming down here and disturbing us like that..." Zoro mumbled and turned over slightly.

"It was important. If you want me off this ship and back on land, you'll cooperate. My island is just ahead and I needed them to slow the ship down." With that, she made her way upstairs to see if she could distract the captain from a breakfast that wasn't ready in the first place.

=-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------=

"Whaddya mean breakfast isn't ready?!" Luffy pouted.

"Breakfast isn't ready, as in, I just BARELY GOT STARTED! GET OUT!"

"I have a feeling that lady tricked us." Usopp put his hand on his chin.

Sanji growled. "She came up to me saying something about her island coming close. Get her off the ship, if not to get her out of our hair, than to keep her from taking over."

"I guess we should weigh anchor then. We can get supplies. I think I know why Sanji's been all pissy the past couple of days." Usopp dragged himself out of the kitchen and took Chopper-chan with him.

They found the woman standing a few feet away from the railing, but was staring down an amazing sight that Chopper couldn't fathom and Usopp couldn't create in his wildest lies. A city. It took up the entire island, and was visible from miles away. It made the great Loguetown look like a backwater village. The island itself didn't fit into the archipelago they were travelling through, it was by far the largest they'd come upon in the area, but it looked like it was slightly sunken. The higher parts shone like glass, and reflected the morning sun, while the lower parts reflected the surrounding seas. Some buildings did not reflect at all, and instead absorbed the light around them. Instead of one lighthouse, there were 4. The sun rose from the center and looked like it balanced between all of them.

"I never get tired of seeing that." She smiled to herself and pushed the boys' jaws back up to the default closed position. "I also noticed we AREN'T SLOWING DOWN. C'mon! You can gawk all you want when we get there!"

"WHOOOOAAA-HOHOAAA!!!!!" Luffy finally got out of the kitchen and focused on what Sen, Chopper, and Usopp were so fixated on. His jaw dropped. All the way down to the floor. It made Sen jump back.

"WHAT THE HELL?!?!" Sen pointed to his tongue and jaw still on the ground.

"YAH CIIHY!!! IIHH SSOOOO OOOOLL!!!" Luffy didn't even hear her, he was completely mesmerized by the shiny buildings and the immensity of it all.

"Luffy's a rubber man. He can stretch himself." Usopp grabbed Chopper and Luffy so they could slow the ship and prepare to dock.

Sen halted for a moment. 'Oh that's just great. More lovely surprises.' She put her hand on her forehead and looked up. Then she saw it. "OH. SHIT. GUYS!! WAIT!! PLEASE!!"

Her voice rocked the ship slightly, but she wasn't concerned about that anymore. She ran up to Luffy and Usopp. "Captain, you've got to drop your anchor, flag, and the main sail. NOW!!!"

"What, your island doesn't like pirates or something? The flag's not coming down." Luffy kept working to turn the tiller a bit so they would steer closer to the island.

Sen grabbed Luffy by the vest and shook him wildly. "Okay, long story short, my people don't like pirates, and are more than willing and able to destroy the ship right here and NOW. THEY WILL KILL US ALL WHERE WE STAND!!! DROP THE DAMN ANCH-"

The strike of a lightning bolt pierced her thoughts and made her blood run cold. It also rocked the ship and threw them off balance. "That's them... You've got to believe me, Captain!"

Usopp went wide-eyed. "Caaaptaain... My 'Can't Get On This Island' Disease is acting up... I think we better do as she says..."

Downstairs, Nami jolted awake in a cold sweat, and Zoro frowned up. Nami's weather sense was tingling, and Zoro's general evil sense bothered him. As soon as they came upstairs, they immediately found the source of their nagging feelings. The city had now clouded over and the higher clouds seemed to stream straight toward the Going Merry. As they we're drawn closer, the sky turned from white, to grey, to jet black. A deadly cold wind blew past them and drained the blood from Nami's face. Zoro's frown got deeper.

"That storm... and that city..." She immediately turned to Sen who had a similar look except her dark red skin did not betray the full extent of her horror.

"I can stall them for a few minutes, but for god's sakes, DO AS I TOLD YOU!" Her voice sounded different from yesterday. Yesterday her voice was high pitched in panic and slightly quiet. Now it was a combination of horror and anger. Her pitch did not raise as much, even though she had to shout over the approaching winds.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4_

While the Straw Hat Crew had made it a priority to do as Sen told them, Sen panicked for a minute and tried to talk herself down from a heart attack.

'Okay, you have the power. It may not do what you want, but you can do something. Just don't stressss... oooouuutt...'

She took some deep, cleansing breaths and stood as close as she could to the bow. The lightning struck again closer to her, but she cleared her mind and ignored it.

"_Laaa... Meeehhhh... Aaaaoooo... Koooriiiiii..._" Her free arm moved to each of her words. Her voice was suddenly as loud as the storm itself, and the chilled winds that attacked the ship took interest in her. The clouds turned light grey, but did not back off. It began to rain fiercely, drenching everyone in seconds. Nami couldn't help but immediately become entranced by the woman's eerie tones.

'She's an _Arashan_...' Nami didn't know whether to worship her or push her overboard. She didn't have any time to decide though, as her entire body was locked to the spot in a trance.

The lightning was held back, and within minutes, the anchor was dropped and the sails were down, albeit slightly ripped from the once angry wind that was now gathered calmly around Sen.

"What the hell is going on out here?! I've got hot grease in here and it's hard to make beignets when the damn oil keeps-" Sanji stopped short when he saw the city, the colossal storm, and the woman at the center of it. Since he didn't have the one thing he needed to keep cool, he returned to the kitchen quietly.

"_KOOOOORRRIIII.... NUUUULLLLL.... SSEEEENNNNRUUUIIIOOON!!!_" Her melody carried over the storm as if she was trying to call someone. This ship began to rock from the waves streaming away from the city-island. Sen continued until her voice matched the rhythm of the waves and sent them back. The storm suddenly stopped and the dark clouds withdrew back to the island. When she determined it was safe to stop, she fell backwards onto the deck and started to cough and gasp for air.

Luffy stuck a finger in his ear. "That _was_ cool, but that also had to be some of the WORST singing I have ever heard..." He was promptly punched on the back of the head by half the crew.

Chopper ran inside and got a glass of water for Sen while Nami almost collapsed to the knees beside her.

"You're a Siren..." Nami grabbed her by the shoulders. "One of the Arashan!" She squealed with delight and hugged her.

A gravelly 'Waaauuugh...' was all Sen could get out between coughs.

"Are they supposed to gag and suffocate when they do that?" Zoro was impressed, but slightly confused . The skies were clear as if the storm had never happened.

"The Arashan can control the weather. They can whip up storms or dispel them. I've read a lot about them. Judging by how she just did, she's one of the weaker ones. But still!" Nami giggled.

Chopper came back with a glass of water and Sen downed it in one gulp. Her coughing had stopped, but she still breathed in ragged heavy breaths. "I'm... sorry... safe to approach... don't raise the sails."

As soon as the Going Merry's anchor came up, the ship began to drift on its own towards the island. It came to a nice, neat stop at the port, but there was no one there to greet them. Sen's voice had come back, but weaker and hoarse.

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Sen. All I ask is that you don't cause trouble for the island. Since it was me that signaled that it was okay for you to come to the island, I'm responsible for what you do. I have to go talk to the authorities before you're allowed off the ship. Don't do ANYTHING until I get back." Sen tried to get up, but Nami was still latched onto her and grinning madly. "Get off please, before somebody gets here and you're all arrested."

"Sing again, please..." Nami purred.

Every eyebrow on deck went up.

"Someone get her off me..." Sen grumbled. Zoro came and grabbed Nami, who was sorely disappointed.

* * *

Sen rubbed the back of her head and made her way to the gangplank. She was tired and her head hurt from her performance, but she was still overjoyed to be back home. She got about 5 steps onto dry land before 4 men arrived and surrounded her. Two of them were her brother, Illian, and ex-fiancé, Vandis. They were mumbling between each other. Her anger wasn't quite ready to flare up yet, so she ignored them.

"Lady Sen!" One of the officers called out. His voice wavered slightly. "W-what are you doing bringing pirates here?"

"They rescued me, after THIS ONE," She pointed to the culprit. "Played an EXTREMELY CRUEL trick on me. I can keep the pirates in check, and all they want is supplies and they'll leave as soon as their log pose sets. They look like decent enough travelers. Weird, but decent. And gee, I'm fine, thanks. I almost fell overboard a few times and my arm came back out of its socket, but it's alright now." She narrowed her eyes.

"Illian, what in the world possessed you to try and-" The second officer turned to him and was ready to raise his voice.

"We can discuss this later." Illian's deep voice growled and the only ones not intimidated were Sen and Vandis.

Sen pointed a finger into his chest and growled back. "I don't know what you two are trying to pull, but people WILL get hurt."

"What's going on...?" Nami slumped over and put her hand on her forehead.

"You acted all weird. That girl Sen is down there talking about us, I think." Luffy pointed down at Sen who was starting to back the four men around her against a wall.

"And she's winning! It's almost like they're afraid of her..." Chopper-chan watched intently and listened. "I think we'll only have today and tomorrow to get what we need. They're serious about hating pirates."

"We are low on food. And I need cigarettes." Sanji leaned on the railing beside Chopper-chan and squeezed his fists together anxiously. 'And some curvaceous sightseeing...'

"I was right! You know, you should give those up." Sanji shot an ugly look at Usopp. "Never mind."

"All I remember was a storm coming... Why is Zoro holding me?" Nami finally realized where she was and ordered him to put her down.

"Because you were hugging all over Sen and whispering sweet nothings in her ear. I didn't know you were like that, Nami." Zoro smirked at her.

Nami went wide eyed and planted a high-heeled sandal on Zoro's calf. He promptly dropped her and grabbed his leg. "I'M NOT! Guys, listen. The Arashan can be extremely dangerous. They're Sirens which means their voices can mesmerize people. DO NOT LET HER BACK ON THIS SHIP. Understand?"

Everyone nodded in understanding, except for Luffy, who got tired of waiting and felt as Captain, he should be down there with Sen representing the crew.

"Also, from now on, whenever we stop, before we drop anchor, we tie up Luffy so he can't rush off and get us in trouble."

There were more nods of agreement.

"Wait, how come only you were affected, Nami?" Usopp didn't feel much of anything except the usual sense of dread.

"And the Love Cook here would've been more predisposed to it than any of us." Zoro pointed out.

"Shut it, Bushido-boy."

* * *

"Didn't I tell you to stay on the ship?" Sen grit her teeth.

"Yeah, but I couldn't hear what was going on, and I was getting bored." Luffy put on his best airheaded grin. "Your city is soooo cool! AND HUGE! And that thing with the storm was great!"

Sen sighed. "This is their captain."

He put his hand out. "Monkey D. Luffy! Nice to meet'cha!"

"Captain Luffy, the Arashan are a peaceful people. But we aren't pacifists. If you pirates do so much as sneeze, you will find out why pirates NEVER make it past this island." The first officer snarled.

"Okay! Okay. Best behavior, buddy! Sen already told us. Now which way is the food? Our cook never got around to breakfast."

Sen groaned. "Don't you want to tell the rest of the crew first?"

"They'll figure it out!" Luffy was down the pier and fast running up the street.

"Judging by your little performance and how long it took you to get back, you didn't actually learn what we left you out there to learn." Illian crossed his arms.

"You have some nerve..." She hissed. "There are better ways to teach someone than LEAVING THEM TO DIE."

"Actually it's the fastest way. It's how we learned to swim." Vandis leaned closer to her. "But you wouldn't know about that, would you?"

Sen stared in disbelief and bit her tongue to keep from attacking them in front of the police. She stomped past them and went back to the ship. Her disposition had changed again and it was quite clear the only thing she really had on her mind was fighting back her temper.

* * *

beignets - Yummy French donuts that are square, have no holes, and a get a light dusting of sugar on top. 


	5. Chapter 5

_Chapter 5_

"All ashore, who's going ashore." Sen called up the gangplank. "You have all of today and tomorrow to rest and restock and set the log pose, but you'll probably have to leave by tomorrow night. If you need more time, I might be able to talk to someone, but I doubt it."

"I don't suppose you have any idea where Luffy went?" Nami looked in the general direction of where she last saw his trail of dust.

"He said he was hungry. This place is huge, and at the rate he was running, he could be in one of at least 20 restaurants by now. What does he like to eat?"

"Whatever's not nailed down." Sanji rolled his eye.

"But if it's got meat in it, he won't even bother to chew." Chopper sighed.

"Well, the first restaurant that has lots of steak and stuff is only 3 blocks from here. I haven't eaten in almost a whole day, and I guess I could make do with some chicken. Come on." She waved them over.

It was a quick walk to the restaurant she had in mind, and she was a good guesser, because right in the window, was Luffy, with a shish-kebab in one hand and an empty skewer in the other. There was an entire pile of shish-kebabs still needing to be polished off. As soon as they entered the establishment, everything stopped. The pirate crew thought nothing of it, seeing as how they were warned beforehand. They grabbed the table next to Luffy and gave him the evil eye for a few seconds. He didn't notice. Zoro conked him on the head and made him nearly choke.

"You can't keep running off, Luffy!" Zoro leaned in. "There's something about these people I don't like..."

"You don't like anybody, Zoro..." Usopp picked up the menu and turned it over a couple of times. "...What the hell? This menu's in some weird language."

"Yeah! So I just guessed and I got these things! They're great!" Luffy managed to stick an entire skewer in his mouth and pulled it back out minus the food.

Sen grabbed the menu. "... Um... This one's broken. There's a lot of food here so you can just eat whatever you normally do and they'll make it. And where's the waiter?"

"Lll-llady Sen...?" A tall boy with short brown hair in a waiter costume appeared suddenly and clumsily as if he'd just been pushed.

Sen growled under her breath and addressed him calmly. "You get hundreds of travelers every day, and just why is today any different? You guys can go ahead and order. Get me a fried chicken and a couple of pints, will ya? I'll be right back." She slowly got up and walked out of the restaurant. As soon as she was out of earshot, the waiter gave the crew a hard stare.

"What are you doing with her!?"

"Watch it, jerk." Chopper growled.

"And what's it to you, anyway?" Zoro stared right back.

The waiter took a step back and immediately changed his tone back to intimidated. "So.... What do you want today?"

* * *

Sen walked around the corner into an alley and clamped her hand over her mouth. She couldn't lose control... Not now...

'Stop acting like you can gain their friendship.'

"I didn't do anything wrong... and still... I'll prove them wrong."

She sat down on a box and looked up at the grey skies.

"What am I supposed to do...?"

'Let them see you. That you're not bad.'

"How stupid are you? I only have to keep control for a little while longer..."

'Control is what left you out in the middle of the ocean.'

"No, that was a bad sense of direction and a cruel alliance."

'You turn naïve, stupid, and WEAK.'

"No, not being able to show control is weak. You're going to get us fried at best."

'Show them what hypocrites they are...'

"By exposing myself as one first?"

'By making them see that there's far worse than being a monster.'

"I can't go after Vandis right now. He has them all in his pocket. You saw what he made me do..."

Sen felt a tear roll down her cheek and quickly bit herself in the hand to clear her mind, but it was too late. A small grey cloud had built up over her, and decided to pester her all the way back to the restaurant.


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6_

The cloud followed her until she got back inside, where it dissipated from the cool, dry air. She sighed and sat back down beside Chopper at the end of the table. She resisted shaking like a wet dog and settled with trying to wring out her braid.

"I didn't see any rain..." Chopper looked out of the window again for confirmation.

"It's hard to tell anything here." Nami mumbled and put a mug up to her lips. Usually she could tell the clouds and the tides and a storm coming miles away, but the whole island didn't make any sense.

Sen sighed. "The weather on Shunran Island is extremely unpredictable. It could storm across the street and people on this side wouldn't notice. You get used to it."

Once she couldn't get any more water out of her hair, she focused on her drinks, 3 large mugs of rich, dark ale. After her little breakdown in the alley, she figured she'd better take it easy and only took two. Luffy was happy to take the third.

"Can whoever's the doctor undo this band? My arm feels better, and I'm right handed. I can't do much if it's taped to my side." Sen's left hand had a beer mug in it, but it was easy to see that it didn't feel right to her.

"Maybe, but you'll have to go easy with it." Chopper hopped out of his chair and pulled at the knot in the center of her back.

She uncurled her finger from her glass and pointed at the little reindeer. "_You're_ the _doctor_?!"

"Doctor Tony Tony Chopper at your service!" He grinned from ear to ear.

"I thought you were the mascot or a pet or something." She snickered into her beer.

"I'M NOBODY'S PET!" Chopper-chan turned into Chopper-kun and towered over her.

The restaurant froze and anyone close to their table was immediately across the room. Sen bit through the rim of her glass and crushed the rest.

Nami put her hand over her forehead. "Chopper, calm down!"

Sen quickly spit out the shard of glass and immediately apologized. "I'm sorry Chopper. Please forgive me. And thank you for fixing my arm." She lowered her head and turned away from him. 'Crap... I'm starving now...'

Chopper gave her a funny look and sat down.

Sanji spoke up. "Don't worry about it. The furball is actually the emergency food supply."

"I am not!"

Sen remained quiet until the food came. Everyone ordered something different, and they had gotten her just what she wanted. Nami stared in disbelief at the large, deep-fried, and overall heart-stopping chicken that arrived in front of Sen.

"...That's a chicken?!"

"Yes." Sen ripped a leg off and cleaned the bone the same way Luffy had cleaned his shish-kebab skewers.

Luffy clapped for her and pointed to her meal. "Hey, Sanji, you have to buy a couple of these birds!" Sen tossed him the other leg and thigh for him to taste. "Oh YEAH. We have to have this. Oh man, it's crunchy and juicy at the same time!!!"

"And you expect to finish that...?" Usopp's eyebrow went up. "You're a bit small- I mean that thing is half your size!"

She peeled the fried skin off of one side, cracked the whole chicken in half, and then bit it into quarters. "Perfect metabolism. What of it?"

Chopper scooted over a little. The way she ate, she might have taken the emergency food supply joke too seriously.

'How can she eat that much? She's as bad as the guys are!' Nami tried not to stare, and focused on her own plate, which was a large salad, but nowhere near as much food as a chicken that was about the same size as Chopper. At least skipping breakfast left a little extra room.

About half-way through her meal, Sen perked up a bit and turned chatty towards her rescuers and asked what in the world they were doing on the Grand Line.

"I made a promise to someone; to prove my skills as the world's greatest swordsman. Zoro, of the Santoryu Style!"

"I need to see the world, and become a famous cartographer as a promise to my family."

"To be a brave warrior of the sea and someday have a crew of my own!"

"To find All-Blue and be the greatest chef."

"I've found my _nakama_, so now I only want to see the world and have the pirate's heart that my teacher did."

"And I will be the Pirate King!" Luffy gave a hearty laugh.

"...Okay. Everyone needs a hobby, I guess. You become king of the thugs, I write and -."

"Hey, now. I was likin' you until you said that. It's not becoming a thug. It's more than whatever you people have been hearing about pirates. We're in it for the adventure. For One Piece!"

"Explorers, travelers, adventurers, and merchants come to this island every day. My father is one of them. He's a respected merchant and has done a lot for this island, and he always has stories to tell when he gets back. It's pirates who have to come in, act stupid, wreck the place, and the next thing you know, you have to start sinking ships to preserve your way of life. We don't like having to do that, and if you're really like you say, your reputation has been ruined." Sen picked her teeth with one of the bird's ribs and then ate that too.

Sanji's eye went wide. "What the hell...?"

"Umm... There are good minerals and nutrients in the bones." Sen realized what her nervousness was doing to her and put her hands in her lap. She resisted picking the bones of her meal and tried to think of something else. "I can pay for all of you. Food here isn't very expensive, and it's the least I can do for you saving me. Then I can show you where you can get your supplies."

He decided to let it go.

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Illian sat quietly at the edge of the dock and stared up at the Going Merry.

"Which will it be? Somehow convince them to take the girl off our hands? Banish her? Or outright kill her? I wouldn't mind just killing her. It would make me feel better that your stupid little plan failed." Vandis paced back and forth behind him.

"We might not have to kill her after all. Now that these pirates are here, that opens up our choices. She's still my sister, but with that foolish mistake she made, it won't be long until I lose that too."

"Tell me, why didn't we just destroy the ship? Or at least send them away?" Vandis was already making a plan of his own. He wanted this whole ordeal to be done with as soon as possible.

"Her powers are still weak, but someone still would've still heard her song. Our people are the only ones on the Grand Line who can do what we do. You were outvoted. She didn't mean any of this. It was an accident. We can't kill her over an accident."

"You're hesitating. You're almost as delusional as she is. She thinks she can keep control of herself. You saw how she threatened us. That's not your sister anymore." He shivered.

"How was she supposed to know!? I don't even see why we should be afraid of her! We just have to figure out how to help her."

"You've haven't touched her since the incident. She's cold. She was never very happy before, but now, she's always angry. She lies. She lied to me. She hides from us. And if we can control her, why is there still a fog up there?!" Vandis seemed especially bitter about her lying to him...

"It still sounds like she's a Siren to me. And she hides from everyone, after what you did to her. The fog... is your fault."

"So you want to let it go? Just wait for it, Illian. I think those pirates are what's finally going to set her off. They don't look it, but they're as dangerous as us, and the girl with them would've given them an advantage if Sen weren't fouling everything up in the area." Vandis snapped his finger and a lightning bolt crackled into a black tower at the center of the port.

"Are you sure didn't share it with her? This isn't the friend I've known since the first drizzle..." Illian looked into the water at their reflection.

"I just can't stand what she did to me. Remember those memories, Illian. Because I can't." A cloud gathered over him, but it didn't rain, it just turned black.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7 

As Sen expected, the bill wasn't much, despite the fact that it was almost a banquet's worth of food. As soon as they were outside, she pointed south. "If you follow this street for a few blocks, you'll find the shopping district. Can't miss it. I'm going home. I bet my pet is trying to tear up my brother's house by now. I may or may not end up seeing you somewhere around town between tonight and tomorrow." She went on her own way without so much as a goodbye.

"Weird girl..." Sanji mumbled. 'First cigarettes, then whet the old appetite....' He quickly set to his mission of getting his temper and withdrawal under control.

"Weirder city." Chopper couldn't decide whether to walk around on two feet or four, since everyone was staring either way. Instead of going south, he headed west back toward the ship. Since it was a spring island, the constant cloudiness and fog had left it muggy and damp. It wasn't the warmth that bothered Chopper, but the dew that would build up on his fur. Every time he shook it off, it would come right back.

"I have to know more about this place and them..." Nami disappeared as fast as Sen had to the shopping district.

"I was going to suggest that we stay together." A sweatdrop appeared on Zoro's forehead as he started off to nowhere in particular.  
  
"You worry too much, Zoro! The guy at the docks just told us to not get into any trouble and everyone would be friendly!" Luffy secured his hat on his head and took off after Sanji to see what other interesting things he could find.

"I think I agree with you, Zoro... I could see two of the guys that Sen was talking to as she got off the ship. They knew each other. And none of them were happy to see each other." Usopp had nothing better to do, and tagged along.

"I'm more suspicious about these people in general." He put his hands in his pockets and looked around. The fog became thicker as they walked on and things began to look a worn down.

The buildings in this section of city were badly worn and one had fallen into the street. The humid air had the heavy scent of ozone and a shallow layer of water stagnated on the ground.

"Ahh... Zoro... I think it's time to turn around and find another way..."

Zoro ignored him and kept walking. The front of a building that lay crumbled in the street also had fragments of something else that might have been next to it. Aside from concrete, glass, and trash, there were large fragments of shiny black metal. He tried to pick one up, but it gave him a strong jolt. He dropped it quickly and kicked it aside with his boot. It landed on top of another piece, and white sparks came out.

"...What are you doing back here...?" A quiet voice mumbled from amongst the rubble.

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"Hey! What's with this snail phone?" Luffy grabbed a tiny snail creature with a black wire around its neck and poked at it. It scowled at him.

The shopkeeper became annoyed and snatched it from him. "It's supposed to go to a STM Plate."

Luffy picked a black metal slab the size of a piece of paper and started turning it over. "This? It looks just like the broken menu in the restaurant..."

"It's an STM Plate. You write on it and it remembers even if you write something else on it. The snail phone plus the plate sends your messages to another person with the same setup. What are you, some kind of primitive?"

"Lemme see here..." He picked up the matching black stylus and scribbled something on it. It left a white impression that crackled and disappeared after a few seconds and left a '1' in the top corner. "Coool!! How does it work!?" He turned it over and opened a small panel. Inside was another piece of black shiny metal.

"CLOSE THAT BEFORE YOU-"The shopkeeper couldn't finish as Luffy tapped it and nothing happened. The shopkeeper gaped. Luffy put it back together and put it back on the counter.

"That was a high voltage machine... He should've been seriously hurt... Hey you! What'd you do to it?! If it's broken, you better pay for it!"

"I don't think it's broken. See?" He pointed to the white '1' still in the corner. He tapped it with the stylus and the jumbled scrawl came back.

"Then how could you have touched it without being electrocuted?"

"Rubber doesn't conduct electricity. What else is here?" He bounced around the store marveling at different items, ignoring the sign to not touch anything. A short while later, Nami walked in.

"Nami! The stuff in here is great! They even have... cubes...Umm... What is this?" He picked up a heavy metal cube painted white and blue like the sea and clouds.

"It's Sea Sto-" Again, Luffy's curiosity took over before the merchant could finish. Inside was a set of black gems resting on a white cushion. As soon as he touched it, he froze.

"Luffy?! Luffy!" Nami shook him.

"I... can't move..." He growled.

"Sea Stone..."Now the shopkeeper knew what was going on. "You have the powers of the Devil's Fruit?"

"Naamiiii..." Luffy wanted to drop the stone. Nami took it from him and put the box back.

"And just where do you think you're going...?" The shopkeeper was giving them both a dirty look and had one hand on the counter.

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Chopper shook the film of water from his fur for the hundredth time and stared up at the ship. The fog that pervaded the island was thinner here at the edge of the island. The Going Merry was quite visible in the afternoon sun, which should've burned off the fog...

'Weird how we didn't see it as we were coming towards the island...' He looked around to make sure he wasn't being watched. He morphed into Chopper-kun and lifted the gangplank to get on deck. As soon as he was on deck, the fog called out to him.

"_Good idea to hide, monster..._"

Chopper's fur stood straight up as he looked around. "Who's that?"

"_I'm like you..._"

"Grr... show yourself."

"_You're looking right at me._"

"The fog?"

"_There are others like you and I. People are terrified of me, so I must stay as you see me. These Shunran. These HYPOCRITES. They destroy friend and foe alike, and pretend to be peaceful to catch their prey off guard. But we have a common enemy, creature. They appeal to their Arashan gods and take no mercy from others. One who has caused them to fear me. To fear us..._"

"That's not my problem. Tomorrow we're getting the hell off this creepy rock." Chopper went inside to catch a nap.

If the fog had a face, it would've snarled at him. Instead it reached out to the ship and crawled low on the floor until the ship was shrouded as well. Below deck, Chopper hopped up into one of the hammocks and didn't notice the mist crawling along the floor.

"_Creature... it would be foolish to think you'll be able to get away from this island tomorrow. The Arashan haven't promised to let you leave this place alive, have they?_" The fog rolled across the floor slowly and gathered under his hammock."

"It's not like we can't get out of here on our own."

"_The second you're far enough out, they will leave you and your 'nakama' at the bottom of the ocean and reap your treasure and all you hold dear. As Sirens, it is their pathetic way. I only ask for your help because they feel they can control me to do their bidding. I cannot let you leave alive if you do not help me!_"

"Yeah right. And what do you want?!"

"_You and your nakama must help me... This island and everything on it will be destroyed if we don't stop it!_" The fog was thick in the cabin now and was rising to cloud Chopper's vision.

Chopper sat up and looked at the fog coming towards him. "Are you CRAZY?! This place is HUGE! And I don't believe you!"

"_All we must do is find the one who started the pain and suffering. My misery. Your misfortune. I can draw it out. I know you and your powerful nakama can destroy it if you work together. Then I may be free from their control, and you can keep your life._"

Chopper donned his running form and sprinted above deck, only to find the cloud was so thick that it was impossible to see beyond his nose. He attempted to jump down to the dock to warn his friends, but the ship rocked violently and knocked him off his feet. The anchor was just long enough to let the Going Merry drift away from the dock.

"_I hope you know where you're going, creature. One false step and the sea will swallow you whole. Tell your nakama of the Arashan's plan and mine. Your log pose will be set in the morning. I will expect your answer by nightfall. I know where to find you._" The fog rolled away and joined the mass on the island. Chopper growled and ran to the Shopping District to warn his crewmates.


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8_

Sen looked down from the third story of the crumbling building at Zoro and Usopp. "This isn't the best place for sightseeing."

It looked like she was in what was left of someone's living room, and the entire room had been trashed. From the building collapsing, or a prior event was anyone's guess. The floor and walls had exposed pipes and wires flailing in the air.

"What in the world happened here?!" Usopp kicked a rock out of the way and navigated closer to the building to hear her.

"A monster destroyed the place a few weeks ago. I used to live here." She took a few steps back and tried to sort through some junk on a table by throwing what she didn't need over the side.

Usopp's eyes went wide and his knees started to shake. "What kind of m-m-monster...?"

"...A very angry one. It's gone now, so don't worry about it." She couldn't find what she was looking for, so the table went over the side and crashed beside them. "Don't you have anything better to do?! Get those swords of yours sharpened or something. Or are you stalking me for some reason?"

"Hnn... took a wrong turn is all." Zoro turned to leave, dragging Usopp with him.

Sen continued to let her frustration build up as she went through the apartment. More furniture flew over the side of the building, mostly little things like books and metal plates. As Zoro and Usopp got around the corner, they heard Sen scream in anger, a crack of thunder and concrete crumbling. A cloud of dust blew past their feet and a black rain cloud gathered overhead.

Zoro grimaced. "Thought as much..." He turned around with Usopp and went back to the wreckage.

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Sen coughed and waved the smoke from her face. The floor she was on gave way as a result of a quick display of anger and buried her underneath a few tons of building.

"Hellll...." She whined. 'Now I'm a captive audience.' She tried not to think of the past few weeks, but her predicament left her with nothing else to do. Getting out would take a while...

'_Why in the world did you come back here...?'_

"I just wanted a little solace is all." She pushed rather weakly against the rocks above her, and managed to make a good sized hole. Not that there was anything to look at. Just dark grey skies. The surrounding rocks didn't move, though.

_'And you got the opposite. You always do that. At least you waited for those two guys to leave. You got attached to them waayy too quickly..' _Her mind's voice seemed pained to admit attachment to them.

"Did you have to throw that table at them?"

'_And just why do you care? 1) They're pirates. Probably the lowest life-forms on the Grand Line and your source of income, 2) Does it really look like you could hurt them with just a table? and 3) They may be like you, but they don't like you.'_

"Sometimes you just have to try. Just what have I got left? My home is gone, the whole city hates me, my fiancé dumped me, and now he's trying to kill me. My pet will be back soon, then I'll probably drown down here. Father hasn't been seen in almost a year. I'm as old as the ground itself, and I STILL can't get my elementary powers under control, and worst of all, I'm a freak. I think a ragtag bunch of kids in a sheep boat are the least of my problems."

'_No, the least of your problems WAS the necklace you came here for. Planning to destroy it, or maybe find Vandis to give it back? I think it should be destroyed. 55 Million is worth pissing him off now.'_

Sen snickered to herself. "And to think that's a lot in the outside world. Although, the things the outside world does bring to our island..."

Sen had calmed down and focused her thoughts on memories of her father, and the fantastic stories he would tell about the things he saw in his travels as a merchant. He used to bring trinkets and things back for her, such a stone that played music, sunken treasure, and even a strange pet. Unfortunately, out of its element, it died of depression. The giant bird made her think about herself. What if the council doesn't keep their promise and they force her to leave the island? She couldn't leave. This was her home...

_'A home is somewhere where you feel comfortable. Where you're wanted. WHERE YOU CAN BE YOURSELF.'_

"Shut up. It's more than that. It's a familiar place."

_'You mean like people you thought you knew? Places you thought you could go, but now you're not welcome anymore?'_

"Stop it."

_'People who abandoned you in your time of greatest need?'_

"...Well it's not like they could've stopped me anyway!!" The clouds overhead sparked a few shots of lightning across the sky.

_'They could've stopped you. You're weak. And you're stupid too. Plain and simple, you're going to die. And you're going to take a whole mess of people with you. You're just going to stay here and rot and live in their contempt, and your own until they finally decide you're worthless. Like the village idiot. Nothing you do is going to convince them otherwise...'_

"No. We'll show them..." Her heart started to race, and her anger rose again, and she wasn't about to stop it. "They'll see, they should have trusted me... They shouldn't have abandoned me... I meant no harm!! They said they would help me!!! It wasn't my fault! I'll kill them... Starting with Illian and Vandis. My own brother betrayed me... Vandis swore his soul to me..."

Sen was too busy simmering in her anger to notice Zoro and Usopp directly over her. They were throwing rocks out of the way when they heard her voice over the now pouring rain. As before on the ship, the louder her voice got, the more responsive the storm was.

"Whoa, someone's extremely bitter..." Usopp followed the sound of Sen's voice to a hole in the rocks. He couldn't see her, but noticed the pebbles around the hole were starting to vibrate...

Zoro pulled some of the stones away and widened the hole. "Oi! Sen! Are you alright down there?!" He reached down to grab her hand.

Sen's eyes fixed on Zoro and she gave him a look that managed to chill him to the bone. Glowing gold eyes pierced the darkness and followed him and Usopp. "If you don't want to die, I suggest you take your nakama and get the hell off this island while you still can."

"Yes, MA'AM!" He wasn't sure what else Sen was, but when a woman made a threat, there was good reason to run. That 'woman scorned' saying went double when there was mysterious power involved...

"We can't leave until our log pose sets. So no." He did take caution though. He wasn't completely sure what her powers were save for creating torrential storms when pissed off. ... "Which fruit did you eat...?"

That question stopped everything around, including Sen. The cloud overhead halted the rain and hovered in the air, as if it was waiting for Sen's answer also. Even the air itself settled out of the currents that Sen was creating.

"....What...?"

"Your fear of water, the way people are afraid of you, the way you act around Chopper, the way you can't seem to control yourself... It's obvious. At least you're not a complete idiot like our captain..."

Zoro was cut off by a strike of lightning that was close enough to knock him down, but not to hurt him. The storm returned to its normal intensity and the air currents circled around Zoro menacingly. "None of your business! NOW GET OUT OF HERE!!"

"Watch it..." Naturally Zoro didn't take kindly to being attacked, especially by a witch of Sen's caliber. He almost had his thumb on the hilt of his sword but thought better of it. She was probably just afraid anyway.

_"No, YOU WATCH IT. You rescued me and I returned the favor. And I'll make sure you get out of here safely. But that's it. If you don't beat it now, you can either die here, or the second you try to open your sails again. JUST GO AWAY."_ Sen finally gathered enough strength to get out of the hole. A dusty hand came up and grabbed a piece of concrete next to Zoro's foot. Other than the dust and debris all over her, there wasn't a single scratch on her. The cloud overhead condensed down into a smaller version of itself and settled over Sen's head, sparing the rest of the area from its wrath. Her eyes pierced into him again, but they didn't have the same glow as before. In fact, her eyes were clouded over and having trouble focussing...

"Fine. Whatever. I'm outta' here." He growled and climbed down from the rubble. The rain had washed away Usopp's footprints in the mud, and the layer of ozone was now stifling and made him dizzy.

Sen was still breathing heavy and moved slowly in the other direction. Zoro interrupting her fit had an odd effect and now she had trouble concentrating. She couldn't be angry or sad or anything. Everything just hurt. Since the nearby buildings had been abandoned after the attack, she went into one that wasn't in danger of collapsing. Again, the cloud didn't follow her and dissipated in the doorway. She slid down to the floor in a wet heap and closed her eyes. "Somebody help me..."


	9. Chapter 9

No really people, leaving reviews is a GOOD THING. :p

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Chapter 9

The skies above had a muted orange hue, which meant the sun was at twilight high above the fog. Down below at city level, the quiet hum that made Shunran Island seem sleepy and boring changed into a dull roar as the city came to life. The black towers that absorbed the light now gave off soft colorful glows, as did lights in buildings across the city. From the Shopping District, music of every kind could be heard from every direction and actually was audible from all parts of the island. Sanji bobbed his head to the music, and let the vibe from each club that he passed take him. It amazed him how much he was able to get. Food of all kinds, a bauble or two for Nami, and enough of his precious cigarettes to keep him puffing until they got to the end of the Grand Line. He had so much now, he borrowed a large cart to haul it all away. And he didn't pay hardly anything for all of it!

In fact, the apparent economy nagged at his mind. Sen dressed rather plainly, and didn't carry herself as if she was rich or anything, and yet was able to buy a banquet. How could they practically give everything away? He was sure that the earrings he had gotten for Nami were something that could only be found in a rich person's private collection or at the bottom of the sea in a chest. There was no doubt that it was real. The merchant had taken the back of the stone and cut a perfect circle out of a piece of demonstration glass. One of his 5-star meals, and these babies afterward? Nami would be all over him like chocolate on strawberries….

He was glad now that they had rescued Sen, even though she and her entire city were acting strange. They welcomed him as a cook, a merchant, and a man who appreciated a good time. But when they asked how he came upon the island and his answer was Sen, things got eerily tense.

After some inquiry of braver souls in the city, he learned that Sen was currently in trouble for destroying a portion of the city. And that she wasn't to be trusted and to be avoided at all costs. Their conversation was well guarded by the surrounding noise, so they were free to talk.

"Her? She's…." Sanji waved his hand at chest height. "Petite. Kinda cute actually, and the way she was cowering in that boat with a broken arm-" And then he remembered her little pre-breakfast performance, and then the way the port authorities were backing away from her when she got off the ship. "Just how dangerous is she?"

The light red-skinned man struggled to keep up with Sanji since he was pulling a cart and going as fast as he could. "As an Arashan, she's worthless. Hardly a patron goddess of the island. But on top of being Arashan, she got greedy and now she's got a bit of the Devil in her."

'Sen?! A goddess!? That would explain the no-nonsense and take charge attitude…' Sanji tried not to laugh. "And what Devil's Fruit did she eat?"

"I've never seen it, and she hides all the time now, so no really knows. There was so much panic that day a month ago, nobody quite knows what happened. Everyone knew that she wouldn't be a guardian goddess because her powers were so weak she couldn't even bring down a drizzle. But that day, she could've leveled the whole island and none of the other Arashan would've been able to stop her. We knew it was her because each Arashan has a Siren's song of their own, and the storm from her song was enough to level half of Lallan district, which is what her family controls. No one knows why she stopped, either. Once one of the Conducting Towers fell, her song and the storm stopped. We need those things to live! Ever since, she's been hostile, secretive, she mumbles things to herself, there's been a weird fog all over the city, and her pet is almost always black." He shuddered.

"Pet? What's that got to do with anything?"

"Arashan have to be responsible with their powers or else their powers will come back to bite them in the ass. Pets are clouds that follow them around. If there isn't one, it means they are in a stable or calm frame of mind. Once the cloud shows up, it means that something is wrong with them, and once it turns black, it means something is seriously off and they are downright DEADLY. After a while, the pet will start to torment them and then it gets really ugly…

Which is why all us normal Shunran try to keep them happy. Thank goodness it doesn't take much. They're an easygoing bunch that don't want much more than to just enjoy the weather they create. Or the weather they would create if Sen weren't blocking it. If this doesn't end soon, the best she can hope for is banishment from the island. But there's talk about putting her out of her misery… A shame. Before that she'd never done anything wrong save for being slightly silly and irritating, and the Lallan family is one of the most prominent on the island for her father's work in bringing us so much prosperity."

Sanji was slowly putting things together. "Just what does her father do?"

"Niyin Lallan's a merchant. Evidently all these stupid pirates that come through the Grand Line looking for One Piece or some garbage carry a lot of treasure, food… hell, everything the world has to offer. The Arashan not only guard the island from those invaders, they can pretty much turn those ships over and empty 'em like broken piggy banks on the island. Then merchants like yourself and her father trade whatever we don't need, which is pretty much all of it. Hence, they are also called Sirens."

Sanji took an extra long drag of his cigarette and mumbled. "Is that right…?"

"Gotta make a living somehow."

"Touché…" He took a left turn and a brown blur of antlers and fur ran headlong into him. They were both knocked back a few feet, which scared the hell out of the man beside Sanji. Luckily, the cart was not turned over or anyone injured. Chopper popped back up and tugged at Sanji's collar.

"This island is crazy! Where's Luffy and the others?!" The reindeer had a slightly panicked look on his face and was looking around him in paranoia…

Sanji growled and threw Chopper off him. "Hey! Get off! What the hell's the matter with you? Other than the nervousness, this joint's alright. I gotta visit some of these clubs after I take this stuff back to the ship." He grinned to himself and straightened his clothes.

"The fog… it talked to me…" His eyes were currently fixed on it as the mist drifted lazily around their feet.

"The fog?" Sanji's eyebrow went up.

'A talking animal…? What the hell is that thing?' The man with Sanji also couldn't believe what Chopper was saying. "Hey, we get a lot of weird things here, but the fog doesn't talk. It doesn't move, it doesn't do anything. Even the Arashan can't make it do that."

"I swear. It was the _fog_. Someone on this island has Devil's Fruit powers and said that the islanders-" Chopper looked over at the Shunran with his mouth agape. "Back to the ship!" Chopper hitched up to the cart and ran off with it back to the ship with Sanji in tow.

Chopper nearly spilled everything in the cart as he bulked up to human size, threw the cart on deck, and dragged Sanji into the tiller room. "Okay. The Arashan have been controlling someone with some kind of Fog or Cloud Fruit and they want us to do something about it."

"…Hm. So that's what Sen is… "

"Sen? No, it's not Sen, otherwise the whole island would smell like her, and this thing is male. And the fog was already here even before Sen came back."

"But the guy I was just talking to said that Sen created the fog."

"Well, it's not her. Sen is a Zoan like me. Some kind of amphibian or lizard."

"And why didn't you say anything sooner?"

"She's really scared of it. And she's obviously trying to keep it a secret. If people as powerful as the Arashan are afraid of her, then -"

Their conversation was interrupted with a shriek, a whoop of joy, and the sounds of voracious eating and subsequent choking. They came outside to find Nami with her hands on her knees and puffing tiredly, while Luffy was building his energy by trying some of the delicacies in Sanji's cart.

"THIS DUMBASS ALMOST GOT US KILLED!!! DAMMIT, LUFFY!" Nami screeched at him.

"Ah, Nami-swan! What's the matter?! And I must apologize for my behavior earlier! I must admit I wasn't myself the past few days…" Sanji went right back into his flirting routine, and led Nami over to a seat. As they passed Luffy, Sanji slid his foot under Luffy's and knocked him over without missing a step. "Get the hell out of the food, stupid. I haven't cooked it yet. Now Nami! What has happened to you so that I may kill our buffoon of a _capitain_?"'

Nami caught her breath and put her hand on her forehead. "These people SERIOUSLY don't like people with Devil's Fruit powers, pirates, Sen, and when people BREAK THINGS! And Luffy managed to get in all four of those things in one encounter! He found a box in a store, containing Sea Stones. He touched it, froze, got mad, broke the box, which I had to spend _my good money on_, and explained to the clerk that we were pirates, who rescued Sen. Somehow, this sequence sets off the MAGICAL CUE that tells these people to RUN US OUT OF THE CITY. I DIDN'T GET TO DO HARDLY ANYTHING!!!"

"Well if the weirdness keeps up, we'll be leaving soon enough. Where's Zoro and Usopp?" Chopper sniffed the air. The fog's scent stayed the same, no matter where he was in the city, which meant he was either being followed, or the fruit allowed the user to literally be everywhere at once. Neither Usopp nor Zoro's scents were in the air, though. "Luffy, should we interfere with what's going on here? A lot of people could be in danger. And the fog warned me that if we didn't, we wouldn't make it out of here alive."

Sanji started hauling the cart into the kitchen to get it away from Luffy. "Sen said she would be able to see us safe passage out, but she can't protect us once we're out to sea. Shunran is an entire island of pirates and thieves. They use the powers of Sirens like Sen to destroy pirate ships and loot their treasure. I also heard that we shouldn't trust Sen, either. The Devil's Fruit seems to have changed her."

"Damn right! She's either mastered her powers real quick or she's gone nuts!!" Usopp appeared behind them looking as winded as Nami was when she arrived. "I must have run across this entire city! She leveled a building and then conjured a storm I haven't seen since we first got to the Grand Line!"

"I bet Zoro went and pissed her off." Sanji growled. "One of you can find the jerk. If you'll be so kind as to join me, Nami-san, the music coming from one of the clubs I passed was just the thing for our spirits this evening!"

As he took her hand and was about to lead her off the ship, the fog rose up into a loosely human form on the gangplank and 'blocked' their way. "_You don't wish to stay and hear the plan…?_"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 

"Did I mention he would be back?" Chopper's fur raised slightly.

"_No fears, creature. I wouldn't hurt fellow captives or ones of my own kind." _The specter of fog slid by Sanji and Nami and rested at the center of the deck. "_Though I do see that you have discovered the Torrent Goddess, Sen. I was hoping we could get rid of her without any sympathies."_

Everyone save for Sanji and Nami did a face-fault. They had already known about the powers of the Arashan and how they were revered. But how could that eerie woman be a goddess!

"Hey, who are you?" Luffy went up to the fog and waved his hand through it and blew at it.

"_Stop that! If it truly makes you feel better, my name is Vandis. And I am…was Sen's betrothed and part of the island's High Council."_ Vandis gathered a large amount of the fog around the ship and port into himself and formed into tall, red-haired man with the most frightening matching eyes anyone could imagine. His dress was strangely dull, light gray robes like some kind of priest. "I'd thank you for bringing Sen back, except all you've done is subvert her punishment, doom us all, potentially disrupt the relative order of the Electric Archipelago, and possibly half the Grand Line. So, you kind of HAVE to cooperate to get out of here."

"Is that all we've done? Gee, at first, I thought we did something wrong." Usopp threw his hands up.

"You're dark-skinned like Sen. Does that mean you're an Arashan also?" Chopper was curious now that he was in human form and still had the same smell as the fog instead of a human or ozone, like Sen.

"I am the God of Shade, yes. At least for the time being. I want off this island and I'm tired of being a diversion and an ends to a means…"

Nami pushed Sanji out of the way and was immediately in Vandis' personal space and giggling. "…Is that right?"

Sanji chewed apart the piece of cigarette in his mouth and grumbled under his breath. Vandis' was slightly confused as to Nami's curiosity and stepped back. "Yes, now if you don't mind, we have an extremely pressing situation on our hands, and the longer we wait, the more she becomes affected by the Devil Fruit. And even as naturally weak as she is right now, her creature form is…. scary…"

Luffy tapped his fist in his hand and pointed as he remembered. "Oh yeah! Sen said she was soooo gonna kick your ass when she got back! And her brother's ass too."

"Luffy! Shut! Up!" Nami put her hand over her face.

"So just what _are_ you going to do with her?" Sanji grumbled. Sen was still a lady even in her troubled state and would hate to see anything bad happen to her.

"The council… it was decided that Sen should be banished since we didn't want anyone to get hurt again. And her brother _did_ try that. You probably saw that Sen has no boating skills at all. She would have drifted away, it would have been up to the Fates, and she would have been out of our hair. But on top of _being rescued and brought back_, he also forgot to reason that if she were to land on any of the surrounding islands, that she would not only be able to come back, she could destroy the electric islands and disturb the balance of our island, and the entire archipelago, since all of these islands are connected. Shunran is at the exact center and by far the largest, which is why your log pose and Navigator led you here. And I know you've seen the black clouds. They all belong to Sen and they're helping to drive her mad. We can't keep her here, and I seriously doubt that you pirates would want anything to do with someone this dangerous. The Fates are being cruel this month..." He put his hand over his eyes and rubbed the temple of his forehead.

'Something's not right here….' Usopp rubbed his chin. "You still haven't told us what you want us to do with her."

"This is the first time one of our own has ever turned on us. And even with the knowledge we gain from visitors, we did not know that Devil Fruits could fuel a person's natural powers. The Arashan can't do anything. You saw my power. It is merely a defense and a distraction. Your prophetess can tell you what would happen if any of the other deities tried to go after her." He pointed at Nami.

Nami's eyes went wide. "What! Prophetess!"

"You can tell the weather and tides, can't you? We have families here that can do that, and warn the Shunran and Arashan alike of impending dangers to the island. They can also sense each other. I feel that your powers are well tuned, otherwise, your crew would not have made it here. You are one of many who have this power."

Nami blushed. "It's mostly a hunch, and I do study a lot on the subject, but really… If two storms were to clash together, they would create a super cell, and that would spawn tornadoes, tsunamis, and in worst case, a hurricane."

"While we could take away her voice so she cannot use her Arashan powers, that would still leave her as a mutated monster. So unless you have a way to disable her Devil Fruit powers completely and permanently… we have no choice but to execute her. It shall also be her punishment for all the lives she has destroyed. As uncouth pirates, I trust you'll have no trouble with it." Vandis leaned against the railing and crossed his arms.

"Are you sure you guys are gods? Asking lowly pirates to get involved in your affairs ain't right." Sanji's eyes narrowed.

Luffy decided right then and there. "I'm not hurting her. She shared her chicken with me."

"Luffy… while that was a right decision, it was for the WRONG REASON!" Usopp shouted.

"Don't tell me you _ruffians_ have grown _fond_ of her!" Vandis was starting to get frustrated. Tricking these idiots and getting rid of Sen was supposed to be easy!

"She's not bad." Luffy huffed.

"Being almost struck by lightning's a bitch, though." Zoro coughed as he climbed aboard. "She hasn't got it in her to hurt anyone, though. Just severely annoying. Who's this guy?"

"….Did you just call Sen a bitch?" Sanji got up and made his way over to Zoro, who sneered and kept the cook of chivalry at reasonable length with a sword.

Luffy's tune immediately changed. "No one gets away with hurting my first mate! We're going to have a talk." He hiked up his shorts and secured his straw hat.

"Idiot! She didn't hurt me! Get back here!" But as usual, nothing got through, and Luffy was already off the ship and stomping away. Never mind that he didn't know where the hell Sen was…

Vandis sighed. "Considering she destroyed her own sanctuary a few weeks ago, she's supposed to be staying with her brother, Illian. But after what he did to her, she's either hiding, or walking into his front door to seek revenge. Or, she could be hunting me down. Up until a week ago, I had even considered rebuilding the shrine as a sort of wedding gift to her. But now… she hates me, and wants to see me at the bottom of the sea. It would be a waste now."

He followed after Luffy in order to point him in the right direction. As fog, he was able to travel quickly and inconspicuously. The rest of the crew had no choice but to follow the rolling cloud form, hopefully being enough to stop Luffy from hurting someone, or to help subdue Sen when she found out Vandis was betraying her. As they followed after Luffy, Nami put together a plan.

"How convenient that when we need to stop devil powers that I should end up with these…" She reached down into her shirt (which elicited a big grin from Sanji) and brought up the small box containing the sea stones. All we need is for her touch it, but she's not going to just take them…"

Sanji studied the stones in the box. They had a rough-cut, but were well polished and reflected the shining evening lights around them. "I had planned on giving these to you over dinner, Nami-swan, but if you need to use them right now…" He pulled the jewelry box out of his jacket pocket and showed her the luxuriant set of earrings and matching necklace.

Nami missed a beat and almost tripped when she saw the large ruddy stones, but picked the necklace out of the box and held it up to the sea stones. "The stones are too small to fit in the setting. I need something like it. Where did you get these!"

"Ahh, this quaint little shop back at the shopping district! If you truly appreciate those and don't want to ruin them, you could always use this!" He put the box back and got another box from the same pocket. This one had only a necklace in it, but was delicate and had a tiny white stone with a setting of knotted silver thread. Nami's eyes bulged.

"WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHY WE'RE FOLLOWING THE FOG!" Zoro growled.

Nami couldn't take her eyes off the stone. "Sen's ex-fiancé. He says that Sen has to be stopped before she goes on another rampage and destroys the island. Evidently _we_ are responsible for breaking her punishment and bringing her back. So now we have to help. If we get this around her neck, she won't be able to use her Devil Fruit powers." She finally snapped out of it and grabbed the necklace. The white stone slid out of the setting easily, and was replaced with the black stone. It wasn't an exact fit, but it would have to do. Nami kept the white stone with the other sea stones.

"And just what are her Devil Fruit powers? Does anyone know? Nobody downtown would tell me!" Sanji rolled his eye.

"And Sen refused to tell me, even though she was close to using them on me…"

"WAAAIIIITTT! WAIT A MINUTE!" Nami managed to halt everyone, even Luffy and Vandis. "What the hell is Sen before we walk in there and get burnt to a crisp by lightning or worse!"

Vandis looked a little nervous. "Um… We haven't completely figured it out. She turns into this otherworldly beast with horns, giant scythe-like claws, glowing yellow eyes, and… she's about the size of a young sea king."

There was an uncomfortable silence for a minute or two as everyone gathered their own interpretation of what in the 4 Great Blues he could be talking about. Usopp had the best imagination and was the first to freak out.

"_Oni-Oni_ (1) Fruit." Tears streamed down his cheeks. "That woman's going to devour us like she did that chicken, and then she's going to pick her teeth with our bones…"

"...Well that's just weird… I thought Ace ate the Fire fruit..." Luffy was a little slow to the draw and put together that Sen was actually a male creature.

"Oh god… Luffy… She's a monster. Not your brother. (2)" Sometimes Luffy really made Nami's head hurt.

"Besides, Ace isn't anything like that. You're more of a freak than he is…" Zoro smirked.

"CAN WE GET BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND?" Vandis cut in and pointed toward the west coast. "I feel that she's that way, which unfortunately, is also the way to Illian's house."

"She said something about killing both of you before she climbed out of some broken building." Zoro was slightly intrigued on how he could piss off someone like Sen so badly. She tried hard to be mean, but…it wasn't her…

"Which means if we don't go NOW, something else will probably explode, kill a few hundred more innocents, and leave the west part of the island defenseless. Also, Illian is a dear friend of mine. This is partially why Sen is so violent towards us. At first, we had intended to put her on probation, and if she could prove she could control her Arashan powers and overcome her demon powers, she could stay. But she almost instantly destroyed her chances there."

"Hmmm…" Sanji was still working on his picture of Sen's half creature form. "Monster, Devil's Fruit, woman… What if she's a sexy _Yasha-Yasha_(3)…?" Sanji was drooling heavily at this point.

"What if you got your brain out of the gutter for just a minute?" Usopp pointed at Vandis' retreating misty form. "He's leaving without us."

"Whatever she is, she's the source of our troubles. Let's get this intervention over with." Zoro put his hands in his pockets and followed.

* * *

(1) 'Oni' can be monster, ogre, or demon. Usopp meant monster, since that's what everyone keeps calling her.

(2) Brother is 'onii' with a little extra emphasis on the 'ii' sound.

(3) 'Yasha' is a female demon, like a succubus.


	11. Chapter 11

_Chapter 11_

Illian hung his head low and looked out over the Lallan sector of the island. He couldn't remember more things going wrong at the same time, ever. He knew Sen would be by soon, and he didn't care. Maybe there was still a chance...

He hummed softly and summoned a warm breeze from the sea. It blew around the marble columns of his sanctuary and freshened the air. "Sen..."

"What?" Sen was hanging upside-down from the awning beside him.

Illian made an audible gasp and jumped away from her. "WHAT THE HELL! SEN! GET DOWN!"

"You're sure big stuff thinking you can give me orders." Sen didn't move from her spot and simply enjoyed the breeze her brother had created.

"I am older than you. And I'm not afraid of you, _imouto_." He flopped down in a settee chair and looked up at her.

"You kinda should be. I'm not some baby you can just drop in a basket and float down the river. And I know Vandis put you up to it. He'll die slowly later. I'm still deciding what to do with you. What with you having a family and all."

"Whatever you do, don't involve them. You can beat me senseless, I kinda deserve it."

"I won't harm them. I like my nieces. They have a chance at life. You raised them right. ...Illian... I'm thirsty..." She sighed and flipped over to land on her hands and feet.

"I guess you are. I heard the rest of your sanctuary collapse. Just what were you doing in an evacuated area?" He reached beside his chair and picked a glass off of the table.

"Something invigorating. It's all weird now. To need more than to sit back and watch our clouds go by is weird. I need to be active and move around a lot and make my heart pound. But what I felt... when you abandoned me in the middle of the ocean... and when ... Illian..." Sen trailed off and put her head on her knees.

"You did violate your probation, Sen. We gave you a chance to show us that you could conquer your new powers. And besides, it wasn't like we wanted you to drown or anything…" A tiny white cloud appeared over the glass and filled it with cool water, then blew frost around it and chilled it.

She snatched the glass from him. "You didn't even try to help me. This whole thing was a big accident. Had I known, I would've destroyed the fruit. Then I'd be normal… and people would love me again…"

She managed to down the entire glass in one gulp, and held the glass out to him to refill it. He did, and she took another gulp. "Thank you. You should keep liquor in the house. It's good."

"You know we're not supposed to drink. …You weren't drinking earlier, were you?"

"…Maybe… More water, please."

"Dammit, Sen. No wonder. You're dehydrated. And you're probably drunk." He refilled her glass again. Another gulp, and she began to ramble.

"I was okay until that pirate with the green hair pissed me off. Twice. Muscle-bound guy. Kinda hot, though. And they have this cute, yet disturbing little reindeer that fixed my arm."

"I saw them. If I hadn't, I'd swear you were still drunk."

"I'm kinda sober now. And sick." She didn't move from the marble floor, but spread out since the cool stone made her feel slightly better.

"All I can do is provide fresh air and cool water. If the Shunran ever found out how fragile their 'gods' are..."

"I don't think I am anymore. Or ever was. Especially now since everyone's just tossed me away like a defect. The only thing I could do before was bear Illian's children and let him have what little power I had. Now that I can't even do that, let's ditch the bitch at the bottom of the ocean." Sen closed her eyes and bit back tears. She felt a few drops on her face anyway because her cloud had found its way under the awning.

"Sen! Don't start that, here." Illian grabbed her gruffly and shook her. He almost dropped her when he remembered Vandis telling him that she was cold. Instead she was hot with fever. "NO! We'll find a way to help you and we'll find some way to get you back to normal! I'm sorry we tried to do that to you! Stop it!"

"No… Vandis is right… this is all my fault… I shouldn't have taken the box from father's storehouse. I should have been happy with what I had… To be a privileged Guardian of the House of Lallan, even though I would've been nothing more than a housewife to Illian and an ornament for the island…" Sen began to sob and her pet cloud poured down rain on the two of them.

"It'll be okay, _imouto_, but you have to stop crying or we'll both end up in a lot of… trou…ble…" Lightning flashed above them as Sen's pet cloud gathered strength.

"I'll spare you the pain. I can't stay here and endanger anyone else. I don't know what would happen to me out there… I can't apologize anymore to the people I killed. And Vandis won't stop trying to get rid of me until I'm dead anyway… I'm a hideous monster… I can't stop hurting people…"

Sen pushed her brother away and doubled over in pain. As soon as he saw two black horns grow from her head, panic welled up in him. "No…"

"Ssshhhut uuuup..."

Her skin hardened into thick plates, crimson patches mixed with black. Her form grew bigger and sleeker like that of a lizard and spine plates led down to a black tail emerging from her lower back. Her glowing gold eyes were clear again but filled with pain and tears. What she was looking for sprouted from her hands; a set of vicious blade-like claws, long enough to impale, but short enough to keep her hands easily mobile. Illian immediately jumped on her and tried to pin her down, but as a hybrid, she was easily stronger than him and threw him off.

* * *

Sanji gave up and put his cigarette away as they approached a marble lighthouse. As they drew closer to it, the hot rain got heavier, the sky went to pitch black, and the sound of thunder was deafening.

"Sen is most definitely here, but I don't know whether the storm is hers or Illian's. Illian is the God of Storms, and one of the main guardians of the island. Their powers are alike, but Sen's are truly destructive should she lose control. You head upstairs first, I must see if his family is safe." Vandis ran inside ahead of them and disappeared.

"WHOA! Nice house!" Luffy looked up at the massive square lighthouse with awe.

"Not the time, Luffy! And don't look up like that. You look like a turkey waiting to drown." Zoro pulled him inside.

The center floors of the building were warm, bright, and dry. Illian's house was furnished as if he was truly royalty, with plenty of furniture and decoration. The lights that lined the walls were small towers of the same black metal seen throughout the island, and cast a white glow.

"Um... can we dry off first?" Nami turned away from the stairs and was drawn into a large cozy room with a fire going and a bowl of strange fruit on a table.

"We can't have you catching cold, Nami-saan..." He grabbed a red and orange fruit from the table and peeled it for her.

"Yeah, you guys go on up, I'm gonna dry off, and Sanji's going to see if there's a rack or something I can dry my clothes on. Soaked to the bone here." Nami's suggestion broke a blood vessel in Sanji's nose.

"Good idea!" Chopper shook the excess water off and found a spot on the floor by the fire pit.

"Waaarmth..." Luffy grinned and went towards the fire pit. Then he smelled fresh fruit. "Just a second!" His mouth was wrapped around the strange bowl and the food was sliding down his throat.

"Arrgh... Someone could be in trouble up there and you're down here eating- oh screw it... Idiots." Zoro left them and continued up the stairs. Luffy followed after making sure there were no other cornucopias in the area.

"I could be a goddess..." Nami took a bite of the apple-like food. "All I have to do is pick and choose what to keep out of what the world has to offer... And essentially I'd still be a pirate."

Chopper felt a pang of guilt. "We should be upstairs helping."

"Naah! Luffy and Zoro can handle whatever's going on up there. They've handled huge monsters before. Of course, there was that time that _I _took down this HUUUUGE sea cow named Mohmoo, and then went after the first mate of the East Blue Mermen!" Usopp put his foot on the table and grinned madly.

"So maybe you should be up there helping them." Sanji grumbled.

"Maybe Sen will roll over and give up after hearing your hideous lies." Nami stuck her tongue out at him.

"Uhh... You know, I don't think it takes more than two of our crew to stop anyone. So they're good." Usopp laughed nervously.

The lightning and thunder were still painfully obvious even at the center of the lighthouse, with bright flashes passing the windows every other second. A direct hit to the building caused all the black lamps and the fire pit to grow unbearably bright then dim down to half power.

"...You said that Sen was WEAK!" Usopp stared at the lamp closest to him, then tapped it, getting a mild jolt. Had he not already had an afro, that's what it would've been.

"Maybe before she was holding back for our sake, or so she could get home."

"The necklace." Sanji suddenly remembered and pulled it out of his pocket.

Before Nami could scream at him to take it upstairs, there was a shrill scream and the sound of stone crumbling. "Too late..."

"That was Sen. And that was an angry scream."Chopper shuddered.

"I shall return, Nami-swan..." He kissed her hand and hopped up the stairs.

* * *

(1) Imouto - little sister. If unrelated, little missy. 


	12. Chapter 12

_Chapter 12_

If Sen were still humanoid, Illian would have been able to overpower her and keep her from hurting herself. But as a hybrid, Sen's lack of discipline combined with the horrible goal of committing suicide made her like a wild animal, and resulted in Illian getting batted across the room into a pillar. She had used the back of her claws to hit him so as not to cut him in 6, but the tips came across his chest and left 5 gashes.

Earlier, he had tried to slow Sen down by freezing her solid, but she easily broke out of the ice cage and put her claws to her own throat. His final option was to try and stun her, but like all Arashan, she was resistant to the elements that they controlled. Just in time to see the fireworks were Zoro and Luffy. Illian's pet cloud came out and created a large bolt that zapped her in the back of her neck and knocked her down.

"Let me die in peace, Illian!" Her hand flew to the back of her neck and quickly the burn mark from the bolt was gone.

"She's trying to kill herself!" Zoro put his hand to his forehead. "She really is crazy…"

Luffy put one foot forward and snorted. "SEN! While your monster form is damn cool, you still hurt my first mate! And I cannot forgive that!"

"You idiot! I already told you she didn't-"

"Sen-samaaa! I come bearing…a peace… offer…ing…." Sanji was stopped in his tracks and stared at the tall, dark, and alluring creature that remotely looked like the commanding goddess he had met that morning. "Yaaaasha…"

"She's a kouryuu. She ate the _Ryuu Ryuu_ Fruit and it amplified her powers as a Siren." Zoro remembered the look of the Sennenryuu of Warship Island and how Sen's eyes and mane were dragon like, and her voice was shrill.

Illian groaned. "Damned pirates… stop gawking and stop her…"

"SHUT UP, ILLIAN! AND I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO TAKE YOUR NAKAMA AND BEAT IT! WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE!" She forced them back towards the stairs with a few lightning bolts and formed a single point over her heart with her claws. 'No more…'

"NO!" Luffy reached out to her with both hands, but as he touched her, it forced the blades across her scales.

"Imouto…" Illian put his head down in defeat and fainted.

Sen's head dropped back and she sighed deeply. The storm raged on, and after a minute, she giggled to herself and slumped over in Luffy's arms. She slapped her forehead with her claws, and again, they harmlessly bounced off her scales with a grating scraping sound.

"…My hide's too thick. Captain Luffy, be kind and strangle me or something. Snap my neck. Hang me. Anything."

"No." Luffy didn't let go of her arms and instead tightened his grip to keep her arms folded across her chest.

"Captain, I'm not feeling well right now, and I go on these rampages where I kill anyone within range. Do everyone a favor, including me, and just end it all. I don't want to be a monster anymore. I don't want to hurt my people anymore. I don't want to be tortured by Vandis anymore…" She reached her claws up to Luffy's arms and left several rows of painful, paper thin cuts up and down his arm.

"_Someone call me?_" Vandis stood at the edge of the balcony behind Sen. His bottom half was misted over and crawling up the side of the building.

"…Vandis…?" She had never seen Vandis' true form before, and to learn that he was as much a monster as she… "You damned hypocrite…"

"_Shut the hell up, Sen._"He spat._"You did this to me. I ended up like this after your first attack. Except mine wasn't an accident. You have truly discovered the way to infinite power, though my Kumo Kumo Fruit is stronger than your dragon powers. I see you took care of your brother. Which is just as well, since I took care of his family. Once you're gone, I'll take the House of Lallan and soon, the rest of the city, for myself_."

"You what?" Sen's hangover interfered with her thoughts.

"_Not only are you worthless, a murderer, a demon, and gullible, you're a complete loony and a waste of our power. I will destroy your family, reign over your house, take over this place, and then destroy it. Illian's family was the major stepping stone. Strangely, the unstable weakness you had was also in your nieces. It makes sense that you were so close to them. Your weak brother would've been proud since he seems to see so much potential for you and them_."

"My family… the island… You're the one disrupting the balance!"

'And I thought I was having a crappy week.' "Hey Luffy, turn her loose. We have the wrong monster." Sanji threw the necklace away and down the stairs.

"_Don't you DARE defy me, lowlife trash. Or you'll wish you'd killed her when you had the chance_." Vandis' robes changed into fog and circled around Sen.

"Anyone have a shitload of fire to burn this guy off?" Zoro put his hand on _Ghost the Third_, but Sen stopped him.

"The second you bring out that METAL sword, in a THUNDERSTORM, it's gonna be the World's Crispiest Swordsman, so don't even think about it! You can't hurt him anyway."

Vandis growled at Zoro and Sanji. "_I hope you weren't getting too close to her. All you had to do was give her the necklace and she would have been mine!"_

"Wait, what?" Sen looked back and forth between Sanji, Zoro, and Vandis.

"**_Muuuu Ehhhrrrr Zoukouu Paaahhhrrr…._**" Vandis' oily voice came out in an odd hypnotic chant followed by a soft hum.

"No no no…. NO NOOO, VANDIS, YOU CHEAP F-aaaaAAAKK!" Luffy's grip tightened to the point of crushing her ribs. "Fight it, you idiots…."

The guys' eyes all had a glossed over look and sadistic grins that matched the one on Vandis' face. Sanji sprinted over and delivered an épaule kick to her healing shoulder. Vandis did not see his mistake in making Sanji hurt her, as Sen's screeching was loud enough to affect everything within range, including Vandis, the storm, and the rest of the crew three floors below. Chopper leaped up in the air and ran around clutching his sensitive ears and crying, and Nami's senses went into overload and gave her a crippling headache. The storm outside went from a clutch of disorganized rain and lightning into a swirling pattern centered directly over the lighthouse. It reflected Sen's pain and started to attack the lighthouse, chipping marble, smashing windows, and crawling through anything that could conduct it.

"WHOOOO!" Usopp picked up Chopper and pulled Nami out of the room and down the stairs as the tower lamps shorted out and exploded around them, and the fire pit at the center of the room blasted flames clear up to the ceiling, setting the room on fire. As they reached the bottom floor, Usopp ran straight into chunk of the building just as it fell. They were forced to go back upstairs.

Back on the top floor, the lightning couldn't travel along the marble structure, but Vandis was injured because of the ferocity and frequency of the lightning strikes. The distraction was enough to stun Vandis and release his hold on Luffy's crew. Sen wanted to tell them to run for it, but nothing came out but a strange hissing noise.

"What the hell just happened!" Sanji noticed he was across the room and beside Sen, who was making pained faces and thrashing around in Luffy's grip.

"_Ssssaahh..." _Sen had a tight grip on Luffy's arms and was doing everything short of cutting his arms off to get away.

"LUFFY! DROP HER!" Sanji pulled at Luffy's tangled arms.

"Huh!" He finally got into focus and saw Sen being crushed. "WHAT HAPPENED!"

'You incompetent twits!' Sen brought her tail up and jammed the tail spade into Luffy's hand.

"YEAAOWWWW!" Luffy unraveled his hands and shook it.

'FINALLY!' She scampered away and ran towards Vandis.

"Screw the lightning, there's got to be a way to get rid of that Vandis guy." Zoro bolted across the room and reached for his throat. His hand passed through Vandis in a puff of thick fog.

"_The hell you're getting out of this one easily! None of you or your lowly friends can stop the gods! **Muuuu Ehhhrrrr Zoukouu Paaahhhrrr!**_"

'I have to find some way to shut him up…' Sen's freedom and experience towards Luffy's and Sanji's attacks pushed her to move faster. First to get out of the way was Luffy, because if he trapped her again, she was done for. Then she realized that a few moments ago she'd been trying to kill herself, and now she was about to take on three super fighters and a her worst nightmare at once instead of just letting them tear her apart. 'I'm not gonna die like this. Not with him torturing me and abusing innocent people. Not like some pathetic animal in a trap. Not like a monster. I want him dead. For what he did to my family. To our House. To our people…'


End file.
